Crestwood students advance to world odyssey competition

A group of students from Crestwood Middle School will participate next month in a world competition that will measure not just how much they know, but how they apply their knowledge, skills, talents and creativity.

The seventh and eighth graders will participate in the 34th Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Competition May 22-25 at Michigan State University. The six-member team earned an invitation to the Lansing, Mich., competition by winning first place at the Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Odyssey of the Mind tournament held March 9 at Pocono Mountain West High School. The team took first place in their Problem and Division. The students then won first place at the State Odyssey of the Mind Tournament in their Problem and Division in competition held April 13 at Pocono Mountain East High School.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state and world level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

The Crestwood Middle School Odyssey of the Mind team consists of eighth graders Paige Allen, Sarah Klush, Ky LaMarca, John McGroarty and Reagan Venturi and seventh grader Grant Cormier. Their volunteer coaches are Michelle LaMarca, Donna McGroarty and Karen Klush.

This is the sixth year the Crestwood School District competed in the program. The majority of the middle school team started at Rice Elementary School where principal Kevin Seyer introduced the program to the school and the students. The middle school team is one of seven from the district that competed in the Odyssey of Mind program this year. Five Rice Elementary and two Crestwood Middle School teams competed at the regional tournament. One Rice Elementary team and both Crestwood Middle School teams competed at the state competition.

Though Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive program, it's nothing like your typical sporting event. It's about creativity and students are rewarded more for how they apply their knowledge, skills and talents, and not for coming up with the right answer.

This team competed in ARTchitecture: The Musical; Division II. The teams had to create and present an original performance that included a replica of a documented architectural structure that was built between 1000 AD and 1600 AD. The performance will included three works of art that "disappear" and two characters that went on a quest to find them. When the works of art were found, they were incorporated into the replica. The performance was required to include two songs accompanied by some type of choreographed movement.â¯This is considered "The Long Term" solution.

Entrance fee is $2,500. Including room and board and transportation, the cost is approximately $900 for each team member. Because the team does not receive financial support from the district, parents of the Odyssey team are sponsoring a "Michigan or Bust" happy hour fundraiser from 7 to 9 p.m. May 18 at the Dorrance Inn. Cost is a donation of $20 which includes all you can eat pizza, wings and stromboli, beer, wine and soda. Proceeds will fund the team's trip. Parents also are sponsoring a basket of cheer raffle.

Land management bus tour planned

Are you interested in learning how to manage your land in a more healthy, environmentally friendly way? The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Penn State Cooperative Extension and PA Environmental Council will co-sponsor a bus tour highlighting seven sites throughout Luzerne County that showcase a variety of management techniques such as native plants, riparian buffers, rain gardens, parking lot bio-infiltration, grass parking pads, green roofs, pollinator gardens, native grassland meadows, community gardens and more. Bus tour will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 31. Participants will begin at the Kirby Park Natural Area where they will board a charter bus and travel to the Plains Animal Hospital, Lands at Hillside Farm, Butler Township Community Garden/Center for Landscape Stewardship and Design, Life Expression Wellness Center and Nescopeck State Park. Cost is $20, which includes the bus tour, lunch and a tour booklet highlighting the stops. Tour sponsorships are also available. For information and to register, call the Penn State Cooperative Extension at 825-1701.

Pat Rushton writes about Mountain Top. He can be reached at pat4psu@msn.com.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.